In living organisms chemical patterns determine mechanical heterogeneity ultimately leading to formation of complex shapes starting from a simple shape. In this project we will develop a computational framework to simulate this with the long term goal of finding the minimal ingredient to design an artificial tissue.

In this project, we will adapt the Rouse model, that describes the dynamics of a flexible polymer to account for different chromatin architecture. Specifically, we will develop a framework to study the signature of chromatin architecture in the dynamics of one or few segments in the polymer,

We have developed a house-hold scale (16 litre), water purification device, based on nanoparticle-impregnated activated carbon (AC) composite, for disinfection of drinking water. It works by killing of microorganisms by metallic nanoparticles in the composite, whilst the AC part of the composite removes other organic and inorganic pollutants from water. This gives clean, drinking water, in our gravity-driven device, which does not need any electricity to flow water or kill microbes, as in a UV-lamp of a traditional filter, thereby saving energy.

Continuous monitoring of water quality parameters, like total dissolved solids, heavy metals, inorganic ions, organic pollutants etc.is an important measurement, to ascertain quality and use of a water body. This is critical for both a flowing water-stream (river, canal) or a stagnant water-pool, like a lake. To that end, in this project, one has to work with chemical reagants, which have been tested with both synthetic and field-water samples, for various species, like arsenic, fluoride, chromium, iron etc.

Supercritical water or CO2 has been used to pretreat biomass or extract valuable chemicals from it. The work involved in this SLP is to collect literature on the research done in this area, study the research papers in detail, and summarize them in a report.

Utilization of CO2 as a renewable feedstock to produce fuels/chemicals is a potential way to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic climate change. However, CO2 conversion technologies are still at a nascent stage and are limited by several technical challenges. Development of active, selective, and stable heterogeneous catalysts is key to the development of such technologies. This project will focus on the synthesis of tailor-made catalysts for the catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals or syngas or solid carbon with/without light irradiation.

Here, molecular dynamics simulations are performed using open source software package GROMACS to investigate the use of phase change materials for capture of carbon dioxide.

Modelling the extrusion of a fluid undergoing gelation (like 3D bioprinting, food processing, or polymer manufacturing) is essentially a "Phase Change + Non-Newtonian Flow" problem. Simulations will be performed using OpenFoam or a similar package.  

This project will investigate the effects conformation dependent drag (CDD) of polymers on the properties of elastic turbulence in dilute polymer solutions. CDD arises from hydrodynamic interactions between segments of the polymer and can be modelled, in a coarse-grained manner, by making the relaxation time of an elastic dumbbell dependent on the dumbbell's extension. The effects of CDD in viscometric flows have been well-studied, e.g. the coil-stretch hysteresis in extensional flow.

Antibiotic resistance often arises not from single mutations, but from specific combinations of mutations that together change how proteins and genes function. This project will study how such mutation combinations shape the evolution of essential bacterial proteins and gene regulatory DNA. Using existing experimental data and new analyses, the student will examine how mutations interact to enable or block resistance, focusing on enzymes involved in drug response and bacterial promoter regions that control gene expression.